The boat in me happily stranded on the shore
Other boats give me company — are they like me?
I look quite like a scene; people photograph me
Couples sit near me talking of love
I appear quite scenic in the evenings
I look towards the sea and find boats on the shore
I have to go there, into the sea
I am made for the sea
But I do not wish to go
I like the warmth of the sand
The warmth of the wet sand beckons me
But how long can I sit on the shore?
Whether to go or not to go into the sea
The sun sets as I keep thinking
Everyone will be home and it will be time to sleep
The sun will rise again
I may make up my mind to go into the sea
Till then I lay happily stranded on the shore
Don’t know about the other boats lying next to me
Written by Suresh Iyer
The Pigeons of Thoughts
The pigeons of thoughts fly in joy
only to settle on the ground.
My heart beats with joy like a child
to scare the pigeons,
to see I am in control.
The sun watches my childish play.
It is a witness to my rise and fall,
very much like the pigeons.
I capture the scene
and imprison them in my mobile.
So do my thoughts,
which fly high
and come back within me.
Written by
Suresh M Iyer
In our universe so vast, life and death is an interpretation.
In our life, we hold dear sadness, and joy is an imagination.
Our life is full of colors, or so we assume,
But there are no colours — just the product of our brains.
Reality is beyond what we imagine.
What we see around is just an illusion.
Nothing is ours, but we paint some as immigrants.
Ego clouds our minds; we live in artificial possessions.
We feel the loss of lives when a plane crashes,
But ignore the plight of children who die every day of hunger.
We drink for pleasure; the poor drink out of misery,
The ones who die are sad, while the ones who survive are sad to live the next day.
And yet we keep moving in our blind beliefs,
We keep chasing dreams, trying to keep away from grief.
The day we see reality, we ask, “Why only me?”
We live in a small world, and fail to see the larger picture.
By
Suresh Iyer
While we live inside our small bubbles, we ignore looking beyond to see the larger picture, for it would shatter our ego and cause us pain.
I am the writer, reader, and spectator.
Lying down in your arms, my eyes wander.
Just look into your eyes in quiet solitude;
My tears say all in this interlude.
My small victories—chess and writings,
My journeys to places where I chased my cravings.
You see it all and understand without judging,
Like the few who backed me and keep me hoping.
I remember the shiverings of my fingers and fear.
I endure and live in moments far from dear.
I crave true friendships, togetherness without filters,
Recall my missed ambitions and my refuge in pleasures.
I look to restart, refresh, and gather my straws.
I fear to look back on fifty years’ scars.
You gaze at me with tears of compassion,
I seek refuge in you to pour my passion.
By Suresh M Iyer
As I walk down the road on a rainy day,
The skies weep, and the roads shine dull gray.
I weave through the traffic to find my way,
And spot an earthworm braving the fray.
Its fragile form, crushed by a tyre’s tread,
Yet it writhes and fights, refusing to be dead.
I feel a pang, but I cannot be its savior—
Who am I to save when I, too, waver?
The earthworm's battle seems my own
Struggling to rise from a world unknown
Am I not an earthworm, lost on this earth,
Struggling to prove my worth since birth?
I think I’m a savior to those I hold dear,
But my battles leave me weary, unclear.
Aren’t we all earthworms in this endless strife,
Searching for peace through the chaos of life?
Yet we fight to win, to survive, to reign,
Then feel helpless, bound by invisible chains.
The earth bears witness to our fragile endeavor,
And whispers softly, "I, too, am an earthworm forever."
This planet, floating in the universe’s expanse,
Is but another wanderer, given a chance.
Written by Suresh Iyer
Finding a sanctuary, a place apart from time, is not so different
from finding a faith. ~ Pico Iyer
All alone, just by myself,
weary step after weary step
leaving this wily world behind,
Down by some sun-dappled trail
is a serene pathway my heart follows.
There, welcoming shadows beckon me
toward a somber seclusion,
where tranquility permeates the landscape
and silence, spreading its wings,
sets to soar into the domain of solitude…
where I seek quietude
where I find sanctuary.
Oh, why not the simpler things in nature
prevail over our lives once again?
Elevator called Life
Life is like an elevator - Up it goes I am told
We are all in it - Some faster, some slower
Some travel with me - Don't know how long
They will stay with me, where will they alight?
Final Destination - No one has seen
One who reaches it never reports back
The Elevator called Life - keeps opening
In between - Like stations that pop up
On our way to destination in a moving train
Only problem is the doors won't open
Where we intend to - like a prison cell we get stuck
Key is finding a way to open it where we intend to when we want to
Life is indeed an elevator - Not certain where it will open
- Suresh Iyer
YOGA
For me I am the World as I see
For each one, the World is his as they see
See the World as it is
Do not create your own World
We live in the same World
Each one his creation
The creator within each
Yet we create our different Worlds
And spill blood or fret over nothing
Shed your ignorance and look within
You are the Yogi
No different are you from the Universe
They are one and the same
Observe your still mind and breathe
We all do the same, never realize
Watch your body, make each part Act
As they should and can
In harmony with self, mind and nature
Call it Pranayam or Meditation or Asana
That is Yoga for you, me and All
To bring wellbeing, peace and happiness
To one and All
Suresh M Iyer.
Dombivli
We are the kings
in our well we call home
we fight with our siblings
live a twin life
for us and for others
Outside our homes
we see a bigger well
everyone calls it a town
a village or a city
or the entire world
Many are kings here
they fight with each other
all live a twin life
for us and for others
As we look up the sky
we see the biggest well
we call it as universe
the stars and the planets
meteors fight with each other
What goes beyond
No one knows
The supreme power
we call as God
we pray to the Almighty
for us and for others
Written (rather scribbled)
by Suresh Iyer in his well
Who created us
We do not know
We created the God
We created it's forms
We created the religion
We created the traditions
We named the sun
We named the moon
We named the universe
We created the languages
We created the boundaries
We created the resources
We created the defences
To protect our resources
We protected our God
We fought for its forms
We fought for our religion
We preserved our tradition
We preserved our languages
We fought for our boundaries
We created new arms
To destroy other's God
To destroy other's forms
To destroy other's religion
To destroy other's tradition
We created we preserved
We are out to destroy
Who created us
Do we know
Regards
Suresh Iyer
Justification is the only recourse
When truth starts sounding bitter
They will convince you
They will argue with you
They will beat you
They will kill you
They will idolize you
Like a stagnant pool stand you
They breed out of you
You become the Justification
Suresh M Iyer
THE FORTUNE SEEKER
The parrot peeps through the tiny window
The fortune teller coaxes it to take a bow
Expecting keenly the parrot from the cage
to come out and gently pick a page
to tell his future; the young man wants to know
Looking at the ceiling, he recalls his past
Confined to bed, the old man looks lost
His near and dear ones desert him
like passing clouds; pastures not green as it seem
With blessings for all, he waits to breathe his last
........... Suresh M Iyer
Rushing from the balcony
Inside the house
The kid hides under the bed
Mama searches for him
With a bowl of food in her hand
“No Mama, I ain’t hungry”
Says the kid as mama spots him
“Come here, my naughty boy
The moon is waiting for you”
The reluctant kid follows his mom
It’s a new moon day
No moon at sight
The kid bursts with joy
“The moon is on holiday
Mama, No food today!”
“No dear, let’s count the stars
The moon will be out anytime soon”
The kid refuses, mama relents
The pizza delivery boy vrooms past
The kid shouts in joy
“Mama, I want pizza”
Mom heaves a sigh.
... Suresh Iyer
When we met that day, we were strangers at bay
Seeking a companion, my eyes met yours with gay
An unwritten bond enveloped you and me
Destined to be life partner everyday
Days and months and years passed
Our relationship changed tracks by the way
My love demanded sex, yours sought commitment
Life seemed a chore, none of us had a say
Love borne out of compulsion, we became partners at bay
Our love was blind, exposed day by day
Years down the line, my eyes have opened
Only to realize you say to my love “nay”
Is it too late! – am afraid you shall never
Meet my eyes with love and gay
Sitting alone with lost hope to win back your commitment
Come back O Dear’, I wait for that day
… Suresh M Iyer
Like a breath of fresh air
My cheek brushed by the aroma of her hair
Her shining eyes melted my soul
Listen to my heart beat!
It dances to a new beat
She breezed past like a heaveny fairy
I walked behind like a transfixed devotee
She walked, I walked
She stopped, I stopped
She turned around
To look at me
How can I
look deep in her eyes
I stumbled and fell
She flashed a priceless smile
Enough to set alight my life
Is she the princess of my dreams!
The angel may be out of sight
Her charm will never cease
To be out of my mind
... Suresh Iyer
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